Comments on: Are rising beer prices affecting you?

By: William Brand

William Brand — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 00:55:58 +0000

I worry about a beer gut too and work my ass off on a treadmill. My basic solution is to drink less, but drink very, very good stuff.

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:15:52 +0000

yeah. yes the economy is bad, but being broke is something i’m always used to…
my plan of attack..
2 to 3-22oz of awesome beer
1-12 pack of pabst
and a quality spirit on sale.

good deals and it will last for a while. i just got a bottle of jonnhy walker black for 25 bucks and i can typically find jamison or jack for 15 @ safeway/longs. in the month of oct. pabst 12′r were 5.50 at longs. yeah!!

everything in moderation. by the 6 or 7th bottle of 2 buck chuck (in 2 weeks) it will make you want to throw up, but if you interweve the good and the not as good, it should do the trick.

have you ever been drinking just pure good beer for a while? that is an interesting beer gut. i’m not tooo calorie concious but most of the ipas and all that is like 2 sodas. sip on that.

By: Jon

Jon — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:54:09 +0000

I’m tired of it and have been meaning to talk about it on my blog. Great to hear others talking this way too.
I hate to single folks out but I do enjoy their other beers: Bourbon County Stout for 20 bucks a FOUR pack? I’ll pass. Firestone Walker for 20 bucks a bomber? I’ll pass on that too. Come on guys.
I get beyond tired and a little irritated when I see the “peoples drink” go for alot of money while I see people around me getting laid off from their jobs. Did these place think of brewing a low cost beer for the times? No skimp on quality but also not an “extreme beer”.
Howe Sound Brewing is making a “bitter beer” for bitter times and they are also selling it for a buck less than their other beers.
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hmzFWAOPjo8Pjan5fmkioFxChhHQ

By: craig

craig — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:13:35 +0000

gas prices my fall but the price of beer won’t…brewers are too greedy…i’ll pay the 10$ a six instead of paying 5$-7$ dollars in a pub…i mean how do they expect use to tip at thise kind of prices?..i usually tell the server that…when i do go out for a drink it is at a cheap happy hr..or football sunday speacial…i’am making an exception this saturday…i need a bowl of clams & a glass of pale from “marin brewing”….yummy!!

By: William Brand

William Brand — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:08:37 +0000

I agree about the Trappist. I much prefer to pay for a $6 glass of something really good and know that it will be in perfect condition. For example, I love De Glazen Toren Saison, but a bottle costs about $15 when I can find it and usually I can’t and when I can I have no way of knowing if I’m buying a bottle from a shipment two years ago.

So when the Trappist opens a keg, I order a glass or two. Otherwise, I stick to beers I know are going to be fresh.

By: Todd

Todd — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:45:18 +0000

I’m hating the rising prices. Around July or August of this year, I started having to search for the lowest prices for good beers, relying less on what I wanted to drink. I ended up drinking a lot of Ommegang’s Hennepin and various Lagunitas beers, because they are the cheapest beers that I like. I barely buy anything by Stone any more, or the other high-priced breweries.

And it’s really off-putting to buy a full-priced Westmalle Tripel or Rochefort 8 at a place like BevMo, with its substandard storage, and open it up to find a stale, oxidized, nearly flavorless shadow of what it should be. They should at least be discounted! That’s sent me to Ledgers for my occasional special beer.

I’ve also had a personal whiskey revival. Nice that there are a lot more ryes on the market nowadays.

I’m definitely spending much less on 6 packs and bombers nowadays, but I’m also at the Trappist every Tuesday for a few beers.

By: brian h

brian h — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:26:30 +0000

I make more homebrew than I can drink. But I occasionally purchase beer to research and better understand a particular style. So, though it sucks, the high prices of craft beer wont be hurting me too much. What is hurting me, though, is the high prices of the ingredients. Hop prices have approximately tripled in the last 1.5yrs and grain prices have nearly doubled. Boy has my hobby gotten expensive.
The only benefit I’ve noticed is my practices of experimentation. I’ve been trying lots of unpopular (and therefore cheaper) varieties of hops.

By: William Brand

William Brand — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 05:26:13 +0000

I certainly agree about getting opinions before buying, I paid $10 for a Bel;gian Christmas beer that ought to have been good. It was bunk. Not sure if it was never good or was it old or what? I guess that’s another point, if we’re going to pay $10 or more for a bottle of beer, it damn well better be in good condition. From now on, if I pay that much and it’s old, I’m going to take it back and demand a refund.

By: Discdude

Discdude — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 01:35:02 +0000

Couple of things going on…of course, the increased prices of all the ingredients (and don’t forget water costs, in particular). But until very recently, shipping costs were also up 100% due to gas prices. It takes time to reflect the recent drop. The other is the “Stone” effect, for lack of a better term. Obviously, the belgians have been doing this longer, but Stone Special releases of Vertical Epic and Anniversary brews in big bottles that retail for $6 to $15 and later sell on eBay for $50 or more probably perked up the ears of craft brewers. I see more special releases than ever and they come with much higher prices now (as Mario noted about Rogue). So to answer the question directly, yes, I’ve nominally cut back , but I’ve cut back on everything. I also try to get a trusted opinion before I plunk down $10 for a bottle.

By: Mario (Brewed For Thought)

Mario (Brewed For Thought) — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 04:41:52 +0000

I’m with you William. I never buy 6-packs, mostly singles, and the price of those has dramatically increased lately. The confused grocery checker used to ring “domestic” craft singles at $.99, now they know better and $2 is standard. Still doesn’t hurt much.

The big bottles are starting to hurt. I saw a bottle of Anderson Valley’s 20th anniversary for $8 the other day. Rogue’s special releases going for $15 a bottle is outrageous. As a homebrewer I take solace in knowing I get a cool bottle to feep out of it.

Short answer, still buying the same amount of beer, fr now, but thinking twice when checking out and finding myself usually putting back a beer or two.